Alcohol Detox Needed by Three-Year-Old

Three-year-old U.K. Toddler Needed Medical Alcohol Detox

A report in the Daily Telegraph newspaper says a 3-year-old from the West Midlands region of England required alcohol detox in a local hospital recently, where doctors diagnosed the toddler as the country’s youngest known alcoholic.

According to reports, the child had been given booze repeatedly for at least six months, and was probably suffering from alcohol withdrawal symptoms, called delerium tremens, or “the DTs”.

Unconfirmed reports said the infant was shaking and experiencing wild mood swings, which are signs of DTs. The child was also suspected of already suffering from brain damage due to the alcohol, or from the withdrawal itself before doctors stepped in. The 3-year-old was among 13 kids younger than 12 who have been diagnosed with alcoholism in England between 2008 and 2010.

No figures could be found for “the youngest alcoholic in America”, but cases of children younger than 10 requiring medical alcohol detox have been reported. And movie-goers of a certain age might remember the troubles with alcoholism and drug dependence suffered by Hollywood star Drew Barrymore.

Young Drew, who at 6 years old played the adorable, blond-haired little doll in Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi blockbuster, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, was doing drugs and drinking heavily before she was 12, was in rehab at age 13, and back in rehab a second time at 14. Today, at 36, Drew Barrymore is fully recovered from her early alcoholism, enormously successful actress, producer and director, thanks in part to effective alcohol detox and rehab.

Until the news in Britain broke about the 3-year-old, the youngest alcoholic in the U.K. was thought to be an 8-year-old girl from Dundee, Scotland. Reports claimed that the little girl had been raiding her parents’ alcohol for months, and she had developed “a serious problem,” getting “steaming drunk” four or five times a week.

Alcohol abuse seen as “major public health problem”

Here in the U.S., alcohol abuse by underage young people continues to be a serious situation. According to the Centers for Disease Control:

Alcohol use by kids younger than 21 is “a major public health problem”.

Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug among youth in the United States — even more than tobacco and illicit drugs.

Although alcohol is illegal for under-21s, recent studies show that kids from 12 to 20 years old consume 11 percent of all the alcohol consumed in the United States.

More than 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by youngsters is while “binge drinking”.

On average, underage drinkers consume more alcohol per occasion than adult drinkers.

In 2008, there were approximately 190,000 emergency rooms visits by kids under age 21, for injuries and other conditions linked to alcohol.

Of course, parents who seriously want to prevent another generation of alcohol detox patients need look no further than the example they are setting. And if they are not setting a bad example, then take a look at the example being set by parents of their kids’ friends.

There is hope for a new life.Call to speak to one of our experienced & caring detox advisors today!1-866-303-3848

Medical alcohol detox protects against the dangers of ‘DTs’

The symptoms and effects caused by withdrawing from a physical dependence on alcohol are the most dangerous of all drug withdrawal. In fact, alcohol withdrawal can very quickly and unexpectedly result in death in the absence of proper medical supervision.

The dangerous physical effects of alcohol withdrawal, without the right medical care, can include

Confusion

Diarrhea

Disorientation

Agitation

Shivering

Palpitations

Sweating

Delusions

Alcohol withdrawal can eventually lead to convulsions and death.

The DTs can be caused by drugs other than alcohol

The DTs are usually the result of stopping drinking abruptly after a long period of drinking. It can also be triggered in people with a history of heavy alcohol use by head injury, infection, or illness.

But the DTs can also be caused when someone with a relatively heavy addiction to barbiturates or benzodiazepines abruptly stops taking them. People attempting to detox from the barbiturate or benzodiazepine classes of tranquilizer drugs also require medical detox, or risk severe threats to their health.

In Florida, medical alcohol detox at Novus is your best route to a new life

In Florida, a medical alcohol detox program at Novus Medical Detox Center is superior to others for several important reasons:

Novus Florida’s medical alcohol detox programs are the safest and most comfortable route to recovering an alcohol-free life.

NOTE: This information is provided for general educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute (i) medical advice or counseling, (ii) the practice of medicine, health care diagnosis or treatment, or (iii) the creation of a physician patient or clinical relationship. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem or that this information may be useful to you or others, please consult with your health care provider before applying any information from our articles to your personal situation or to the personal situation of others.